The present invention relates to artificial hip joints and more particularly to an acetabular cup assembly having a socket insert that articulates with the rounded head of a femoral prosthesis.
Total hip arthroplasty includes replacement of the diseased acetabulum with an acetabular cup prosthesis, and numerous arrangements have been proposed for this purpose. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,262,369, 3,874,003, 3,875,593 and 3,818,512 describe various prostheses for the acetabulum, the latter two patents illustrating a plurality of blades mounted in tiers for interaction with the body tissue of the pelvis and a threaded nut for maintaining a hinged connection between the prosthesis for the acetabulum and that for the femur. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,058 discloses an artificial socket with a nail on the outside thereof for anchoring the socket to the pelvis. Other types of prosthesis for the acetabulum are shown in French Pat. No. 2 377 798 (Application Ser. No. 77 01530) and German Offenlegungsschrift No. 23 49 357. U.S. Pat. No. 230,429 illustrates an acetabular cup with a plurality of knobs on the exterior surface. For the most part, these arrangements appear difficult to use and unduly complicated in design and function.